The waiver wire. It’s where fantasy football leagues are won and lost, where we split hairs between the next Puka Nacua and the next 1,500 Tre Tuckers and where we all pray to the almighty that our friend Ryan didn’t submit a claim for Orande Gadsden ahead of us. But mostly, it’s where we add and drop meaningless players week over week who have no chance whatsoever of ever seeing the starting lineup.
Waivers can be daunting, so here’s the friendliest rundown. Every week, your league will “run waivers” on Tuesday night, meaning that any free agent pickups you want to make with the information of the previous week are frozen until Wednesday morning. On Monday or Tuesday, you will thus submit waiver claims for the players you want; depending on your league’s settings, you will get them or you won’t based on waiver order (inverted standings i.e. worst team gets first waiver pick) or based on free agent acquisition budget (FAAB), where you’ll actually have to bid a dollar amount on each player.
It’s a bit of a mind game, and submitting waiver claims with proper priority takes some practice. Thankfully for beginners, Week 1 was not exactly a gold mine of waiver options, so it shouldn’t be too hard to parse. As with all fantasy analysis I do, I’m using ESPN roster percentages and only recommending player available in more than 50 percent of leagues (though I will mention some guys right on the line). We’re talking standard PPR scoring and assuming a 10-team league, though all of this will probably apply for half-PPR as well and for 12-team leagues, which are the most popular options. Now onto running backs, beginning this glorious column with an absolutely catastrophic lack of options. We’re so back.
Running back waiver wire targets
Waiver-wire players to add: Kendre Miller (Saints), Devin Singletary (Giants), Braelon Allen (Jets), Kaelon Black (49ers)
So remember all preseason when I was banging my fists against the table trying to get it through your thick head that there was a running back dead zone and you needed to invest in two of them early? Yeah, this is what I was talking about.
As far as I can tell, in normal PPR scoring with ESPN roster percentages, there is only one running back with >50 precent availability who cleared 10 points: Devin Singletary, available in a hysterical 99.7 percent of leagues. I will actually recommend picking him up, since he played a good amount even if most of his production came from the Dallas Cowboys repeatedly refusing to guard him on a swing pass to the left, leading to quite the embarrassing touchdown on Sunday Night Football.
We are really pushing it with everyone else: Kendre Miller is a name that will get thrown around since he scored a touchdown and got nine carries, and I’ll continue to suggest people roster Braelon Allen as long as the New York Jets continue to believe in him — he got 10 carries and had a long touchdown called back. If you have Christian McCaffrey (or hate the person who does), go pick up Kaelon Black, who got 14 carries in Australia and looked like a major part of the San Francisco offense. Should McCaffrey get injured at any point, his value would skyrocket. I am legally required also to tell you that Tyler Allgeier got 17 carries, but that was with an unlikely positive game script that the Cardinals probably won’t enjoy again; I expect his role to continue to shrink as Jeremiyah Love gets worked into the offense.
Wide receiver waiver wire targets
Waiver-wire players to add: Caleb Douglas (Dolphins), Devaughn Vele (Saints), Kalif Raymond (Bears), Kendrick Bourne (Cardinals), Antonio Williams (Commanders)
Now we’re talking. Wide receiver waivers are where you’re going to win your league, and there are a bevy of options worth submitting claims for this week. Caleb Douglas (available in 84.4 percent of leagues) looked like the number one wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins, and could be the beneficiary of the oldest adage in fantasy: “someone has to catch passes.” Douglas is my priority add this week.
Devaughn Vele is another name to monitor. He got nine targets, caught seven and scored a touchdown in what turned into the pass-happiest possible situation for New Orleans, but he doesn’t have a lot of target competition either beyond Chris Olave, who went nuts. A trio of intrigue exists among Kalif Raymond, Kendrick Bourne and Antonio Williams, though I’m not sure how replicable any of that volume is going to be. Bourne is probably my favorite of the bunch, given he played with Jacoby Brissett in New England and clearly had his quarterbacks trust.
Finally, for the love of everything if Jalen Coker is on waivers in your league (available in 49.3 percent of ESPN leagues, so just above our threshold) disregard everything else I say in this column and go get him. Coker is a class above the rest of these guys, and looked like a potential breakout star in Week 1.
Tight end waiver wire targets
Waiver-wire players to add: Dalton Schultz (Texans)
I will begin this portion of the column by suggesting any and all Colston Loveland and Kyle Pitts managers not panic. Yes, a straight-up zero in Week 1 was not what you were hoping for, but don’t go dropping them in a fit of volcanic rage. Loveland feels like an almost incalculable blip that should be discarded, while Pitts is someone I’d actually think twice about starting so long as Cooper Rush is under center. I tried to warn you guys about these Falcons … I really did.
Tight end can be kind of weird in fantasy, because depending on your league, a wide array of players could be available. If Isaiah Likely is somehow on waivers (he probably isn't, but there’s a chance) by God, go get him immediately. He just destroyed the Cowboys and looked like a WR1. Otherwise, here is your slightly discouraging set of options:
Michael Mayer will likely be playable until Brock Bowers returns, but you probably have a better option somewhere. Juwan Johnson had an inspiring final stat line, but I wouldn’t be comfortable banking on that kind of production every week. Mike Gesicki and Pat Freiermuth will surely turn some heads with their scores, but again, those are not sustainable numbers. With tight ends, we’re looking for targets and like 8-12 points, like a stable relationship with a guy that will buy you dinner rather than some wild card who will ruin your life. Dalton Schultz is that kind of material.
Quarterback waiver wire targets
Waiver-wire players to add: Jordan Love (Packers), Tyler Shough (Saints)
I would be pretty shocked if you or someone else in your league were already looking at replacing their QB after Week 1, but if you are … well, here are some ideas for you. A note on QB availability: I’m throwing out the >50 percent rule for now, since these numbers are skewed by two-QB and superflex leagues. I assume most people play one-QB, so I’ll just have to vibe who is probably available.
Brock Purdy is a player I went into the week comfortable starting, and I continue to be bullish since his next two games are against the Miami Dolphins and the Arizona Cardinals. He’s not super available by the numbers, but he’s sitting on waivers in my fairly competitive 10-man league. Go check. Jordan Love put up workable numbers against a defense that was playing out of its mind, and he’s not rostered in very many leagues. Nor is Tyler Shough, who threw for over 400 yards because, well, why not?
Defense streaming advice
I’m not going to suggest specific defenses to pick up because it’s almost impossible to know which units will or will not be available in your specific league. Here’s my actual, unironic, professional opinion about defense streaming. Pick up and play the defense that is projected the most points on your platform. I’m serious — look at the little number next to the defense and pick the one with the highest number. It’s not rocket science, but it definitely isn’t metaphysical philosophy either. Don’t overthink this.
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